Tuesday night, hopped up on a questionable cup of post-11 pm iced coffee, I put together a post about our Bills and Sabres in which I talked about the weirdness of the current state of things. Around 2 am, my laptop froze and I lost yet another post. It's altogether possible - nay, likely - that it was awful. Meh.

Well, after a long ass Wednesday, topped off with a CrapTastiCast that is equal parts drivel and dick jokes, as well as a Sabres game that wasn't that much different, I've struggled through my morning with not a little bit of rage and there are a few things I need to unleash here on the Deeg,

I just assume hit you all with some bullet points. Needless to say, while I'll do my best to be coherent, this may be all over the place.

Ryan Miller, I hope you're in there somewhere, because that was a rough outing. To be frank, you reminded me of those afternoons when I'd play goalie and get absolutely lit up in hockey at Gloria J. Parks. I was awful, and so were you. Good news is that you can fix it. Get angry, imagine Bucky Gleason being eaten alive by flesh-eating ants, and find your form. We all like it more when you're great.

Sabres fan base (myself and my Deeg compatriots included*), STFU about Miller needing to be benched long term and about that interview he gave last night. Take a moment and understand that Miller got embarrassed last night. He is a world-class goaltender, without dispute, and he's a player full of pride. He's also a player who is consistently disinterested with "saying the right things" in an interview when he's really stewing over a loss. That anger and firm desire to get better and do better is, as has been apparent from watching him for a half-dozen years, what motivates him. If you want to sit back and require him to apologize to fans in some moment of penitence, you are asking him to change one of the things that makes him great. We already have Jason Pominville for the perfect soundbite about "the fans deserve better, we can be better" fluff comments. That's why he's the goddamn captain. Seriously Sabre fans, if you love this team at all, stop being so fucking absurd. (*neither me nor the rest of the league need to STFU. We're awesome.)

It's November 3rd, and the Sabres are 6-5. That is not good. But, with a team still settling into the season with a lot of new faces, there is no credible argument that this team is no good and is destined for failure yet again. I mention this only because there are plenty of Sabres fans and media personalities making this argument, or some absurd version of it, with a straight face and no hint of self-awareness. Not to mention the following facts: (a) The Sabres are in 8th place, with games in hand over many of the teams above them in the East, including two games in hand over the first place Penguins who are only 6 points ahead. (b) Through 11 games last year, the Sabres were 3-6-2. Yeah, I like this version of the team better, too.

Despite much of my rage being aimed at a seemingly asinine fan base who can't fully utilize the blessings of rational thought, and despite the fact that - as I noted above - it's too fucking early, and the team is still pretty ok, for us all to sound off against the summer signings, this must be said: WHAT THE EFF ARE YOU DOING VILLE? Up against your old team, with a chance to show some fire on the ice and prove that you might just be worth the Scrooge McDuck piles of hydrofracking gold that Terry is dropping off to your home every couple weeks, and you are one of the most invisible guys on the ice. In case you haven't noticed, you have lucked out by being signed by one of the best franchises in the league with one of the best fan bases. You have before you a community of hockey fans who are itching to cheer their asses off for you, and all you need to do is just show us something. We don't even need gaudy numbers, we just need some fucking effort. I know you got used to the shit fanbase in Philly and their tendency towards verbal and physical violence when they don't see championships, but you're playing for a different kind of fan now. We lived for years on a hard-working, Mike Peca-led team with no talent outside of the goaltended position. Try hard, Ville, and you'll be a god to us. SO FUCKING DO IT.

Pat Kaleta may get suspended for head-butting / head-ramming some tool from the Flyers in the face. The video is here. Suspension or not, I'm pretty sure there should be exceptions written into the NHL Rulebook so that head shots could be excused when the vicitmized player has a midget fetish. Now, I'm not saying that Voracek likes little people. I'm just sayin'.

There, I feel better. To be honest, as angry and frustrated as I am about these, and other, things in Sabreland, there remains plenty to be cautiously happy about, and I hope this team puts a string of wins together so we can go back to talking about how great Vanek-Adam-Pominville are playing, and about how we love watching itty-bitty Nathan Gerbe prove night after night that he deserves to be in the league. With games coming up against the bottom-dwelling Flames and over-achieving Senators, your guess is as good as mine with respect to whether this Sabres team bounces back with a couple of games that help us to turn off our rage.

Like what I said? Hate it? Think I'm a sanctimonious pile of shit? (me too!!)Leave a comment below, or tell me I'm an idiot on Twitter. Faceless Internet Potshots FTW.

Excellent rant! I agree that the fans, on the Twittersphere at least, are so damn fickle. They've already fired Lindy and traded (or benched) Millsie. Come on! And yes, it's time Leino comes in from the cold. All on the mark.

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JW

11/3/2011 03:32:49 am

Remember when only the NYC fans booed their teams? And threw shit out on the ice? Remember how we felt superior because we were so in love and so loyal we would never do that?
SUCK IT UP.
If you are going ot boo the Sabres, your own damn team, - PLEASE, give me your season tickets.

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BSN360

11/3/2011 06:34:41 am

Miller detractors want an elite netminder. On the other hand they want a wet fish cliche' machine? I don't need an apology, just give me a passionate pissed off leader on a mission to correct his game ON THE ICE and in his head. I don't give a rip what he says in an interview. Miller will correct it. If he doesn't, then we get concerned hes a Luo basket case. Find that "special place" Ryan. I'll be patient. (for now)

This was the 3rd time in Miller's career that he has lost 4 games in a row. He lost the first three with 3rd period leads. In the 4th game, he couldn't make it to the second minute of the game before letting two pucks get by. Before the 7th minute, there was #3.

I am and never will be a supporter of booing, but I certainly understand why people would boo Miller after this series of disasters.

And then he calls out fans with a juvenile "whatever?" I don't care what his postgame history is - fans buy his jerseys and pony up 1600 bucks - per seat - for the privilege to sit in the 300's and watch Miller and Co. We don't pay out the nose for arena beer to watch a shit show. Plenty of fans stay at home wishing they could even afford to go to a game or two.

There should be zero controversy here. If Miller plays like crap for four straight games, there are going to be questions. Fans will be upset.

Stop the damn puck, and then the questions will stop too.

Whatever.

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The Barrister

11/3/2011 06:55:35 am

@Scott, not that I completely disagree, I guess I just didn't see his comment as all that juvenile. Even so, I don't buy that fans would actually feel markedly better about the loss - and Miller's play - if he had given a better interview. He was garbage, and norhing was going to cover that up. On that point, you're right - he's gotta play better.

I don't know what it's like in other cities or how other fans treat their players... but the media and fans in Buffalo say a lot of things and have opinions they aren't afraid to shove in the faces of everyone, including athletes.

You have to have a thick skin sometimes, especially in interviews. Look at Connolly, he didn't. I'm glad Miller has this attitude sometimes, though I wish he could also own up after games like tonight. Should he have been in the position to make those saves in the first place? No. But when he is, should it be expected he saves them? Hell yes.

That being said -- it's just November. Fucking relax, everyone.

Oh and one point you didn't touch on that's driving me nuts more than Ville Leino? Christian Ehrhoff. Dude needs to step up and fast. I'm way more concerned about his play I think. He's playing the same damn position and he's not capitalizing at all. At least Leino has some sort of excuse to use, though I don't like any excuses.

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The Yachtsman

11/3/2011 05:40:58 pm

HASEK FOREVER!

PARDUBIIIIIIIIIICE!

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Schwemm

11/4/2011 01:23:32 am

I say this as a proud Buffalonian and someone who would rather a Sabres cup than a Bills Superbowl (though, obviously, I'd take either). I say this as someone who now lives in SC and wishes he could get back home. I say this as someone who watches every game on grainy, choppy internet feeds (thanks BSN360) and hopes that his wife gets him NHL Gamecenter for Christmas. I say this as a die hard.

How the hell are Buffalo fans, specifically the ones in the arena, one of the best fan bases in all of hockey?

Sure it's a nice community where players can live relatively normal lives. Sure we support mediocrity with reckless abandon and hope beyond what might be reasonable given the circumstances of situation and talent. Sure we fill the square and party in the cold with a similar reckless abandon. Sure we show up in opposing arenas and sometimes take them over (I've been to both Carolina and Atlanta and can attest that we travel well).

But in our own arena, in our own building, to say the fans lack energy is a disservice to energy. I don't mind the booing per se (while I don't see how it helps), and I understand that the energy on the ice is reflected in the stands, but I can't recall a single instance where we can say, "the fans really lifted that team and helped them out." I can recall time and again where whomever was writing the Buffalo News live blog mentioned how dead the arena was, but precious few where they commented about the frenzy in the arena. The "wow, the crowd is really rocking now" comments rarely happen, and they never happen because a group of people has collectively decided "this team will not lose and Pat Kaleta will punch someone's face because we will it to happen."

I think that we see the best fan base in all of hockey in other ways, but decidedly not in the arena. Given this, is it really accurate to call ourselves an elite fanbase?

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The Yachtsman

11/4/2011 02:56:27 pm

AGREEMENT.

And I fucking HATE agreeing with people who live in the south.

Easy way to get Arena back to Aud-like thunder: cut the canned fucking blooper videos/music/stunts/bullshit....stick with the organ and maybe some clips to pump up the fan base. Show every replay in detail to get the crowd hating the refs and the other squad. Have the guy who runs the music BE SMART.